I Wish I Were Bored
musings of getting back to the basics to enrich our lives
Why?
When was the last time you were bored? Not distracted, but actually bored.
I would argue that there is a large population of people who forgot what boredom feels like, or never experienced true boredom at all.
This is a result of distraction.
In most cases, the distraction is caused by the use of technology (mobile phones, tablets, computers, televisions, etc). Technology today (c. 2025) exploits our desire to avoid boredom by distracting us with things that are not conducive to supporting our well-being as humans.
This website is intended to be boring. It only exists as a resource for information about how to get back to boredom.
Currently, we are living in a world dominated by technology and people who are finding ways to exploit our addiction to dopamine to manipulate us. Anyone who uses technology is being manipulated, whether they recognize it or not.
The idea of “getting back to the basics” is not about forgetting entirely about your new computer, new gaming system, and fancy electronics and going back to living like hunter-gatherers. Getting back to the basics on this corner of the internet is, however, an experiment of reclaiming human independence by rediscovering the things that make us human.
Boredom should exist. Because, like my mother said growing up, we all need to learn how to use our imaginations. Right now, our imaginations are being actively curated by a select group of "elite" people.
So, what do we do?
If we make the move away from such regular technology use, what does that mean?
I think about it like preparing for an extended vacation. On a literal level, before you leave your dwelling or home, you would make sure it is secure. So, in a way, if we were to be taking additional time away from our "digital homes", we need to make sure they are locked up and secure before we venture out.
I try to put things in perspective:
- When you discuss your use of social media with friends or family, what kind of language do you use with the people you are discussing this topic with? Listen closely to words everyone in your circle chooses. Then, replace the names of each platform with words like “cigarettes”, “alcohol” and “drugs”. If you listen closely, you will hear that most people describe these moments as an addict would describe themselves either using or trying to get off of something.
- Have you ever prompted an AI platform like ChatGPT to analyze the data from your Facebook profile? Your Google Takeout data? If you were to provide one of these AI platforms with this material and then ask it to describe you as a person or build a profile about you, chances are, you would learn things about yourself you did not even know were true. This is only one tool that big corporations in technology can use to better understand us and our moves. Dig deeper into Data Privacy, and you will discover that the majority of humanity is an open book to most corporations when it comes to what they know about us. And, I mean EVERYTHING. Call me crazy, but it is not some make-believe micro-chips that are implanted in vaccines that are “listening to us”, it is the device you are viewing on this website right now because you and most people believe that “privacy” is using a screen protector and a strong password. It goes much deeper than that.
- How long can you be without your mobile phone? Do you take it with you, literally, everywhere? The first step is realizing that we are addicted. You are addicted. Accept this. You have been taken advantage of because of your small, weak and feeble brain. Not just YOU, all of us! We have slightly advanced monkey brains. We are very easily persuaded, and more gullible than we care to admit. Recognize that we have all been trained– conditioned, even, to have addictive personalities. Treat everything with the mindset of, in moderation.
- If you lost all of your technology now, what would you do? Answer that question to yourself aloud. If your answer is, just buy more, now think about it from the point of view of an alcoholic: if you lost all of your alcohol in a fire, and you needed to make it a priority to buy more, would you call that a problem? We treat our technological devices the same way. But, we do not treat the condition of addiction the same, because we fool ourselves into thinking we need the interconnectivity between us. Not “connection”. This is not an organic, social connection. Interconnectivity has a more technologically-precise sounding ring to it. I believe true social connectedness only thrives in person, not behind the barrier of wires, airwaves and screens.
- Where do you place your value? If your house burnt down, what would you miss? Imagine your loved ones (people, pets) survive. Of course, you are happy and grateful about their survival… but what about that new TV you bought? How about your new shoes? That expensive pair of earrings? Capitalism and consumption has helped us forget that life is transient and you cannot slap an insurance policy on everything and consider it protected. Saying we have it protected, that is our security blanket. My point: as a consumerist society, we place all of our value (and literally, all of our money) into THINGS. Those are the most valuable parts of a person’s life, usually. Their things. Where is the humanity? It should be one another that we place our value in.
- What do you eat? Is your diet mostly processed food? Meaning, preserved food or things that are pre-made? Added sugar? Added whatever? Processed foods provide us with instant gratification. They make us satiate our cravings instantly, but in the long run, leave us hungry. Or worse - sick. Our bodies are akin to high-end vehicles, yet we pump them full of the worst types of fuel. You only get out a product which is as good as the product you put in. You have been taught to consume poor food or made to believe the social or class group you belong to does not deserve to eat better. Nourish your body with real food, not processed food. And recognize that when we all eat well, we do way better as individuals and as groups.
- Do you get antsy, restless, or anxious easily? A lot of people do. In the 1990s, I remember plenty of people surviving just fine with a slightly slower pace of life. Of course, we need to accept that times change, but when they change in a direction where they reverse the growth and progress of natural human construct development due to learning from past experiences, we are hypnotized under our own spell. Most people feel as if they need to be productive, especially in a country like the United States of America. It is okay to not be productive all the time. It is okay to sit and do nothing. It is okay to not always be creating, working, hustling, making. This is the equiavalent of working our brains out at the "gym" and never taking a break. There exists a latin word 'otium', which is all about the opposite of business and productivity. It is almost a rejuvenating rest. The purpose of this type of rest is to feed the mind and soul. We have tipped the scale so far in one direction, one towards productivity and producing, that we believe we no longer require the need to take time off or time away to refresh the deeper parts of our spirit. This is where we come full circle. This is where boredom motivates us to find something that is not based on the influence of a device or company who wants you to believe your only value is in what you produce. Be bored. Allow yourself to calm your mind as the sea does after a storm.
How?
As mentioned in the "why?" of it all, how do we protect our privacy and free ourselves from the addictions that have arisen due to the fact we have quickly turned into a global, consumerist society? Consumerism in this case can be thought about as material consumption, or content consumption. I would argue they are both equally as damaging to us as a society... we have been trained to consume. Things and information. In consuming both things and information, we leave breadcrumbs online for who we are and incredibly intimate details about ourselves and our lives. Privacy, specifically data privacy, is a rabbit hole. I am not going to go into everything here. But I have included some linked resources that may serve as a good first step to researching more about data privacy and privacy in general. The underlying message is: we ought to curb our conumption.
Here is a list of some privacy resources. These are external links: